January 2007
From Julie....
“Arise, O Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice, O righteous God. Most High, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure. In his arrogance the wicked hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. In his pride the wicked does not seek you. In all his thoughts there is no room for God.... Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.” Randy Alcorn, Safely Home, pp 247-8
On the afternoon of December 17th I received a phone call from a teenager in our church that her older sister had been murdered that morning. Shericka was 19 1/2, strangled by a man who was a serial rapist, with whom she had made contact in an internet chat room during the night. I’ll spare you any more details. On the 21st I accompanied the family, including Shaleigh and her three remaining daughters, plus grandma and aunt, to the funeral home to view Shericka’s body for the first time. There are not words to describe the time I spent alongside this family of women, ages 14-58. Grandma is almost assuredly a believer as she and I talked about Scripture and God. Seventeen year old Sherelle has been walking with the Lord for over two years now and is being discipled by one of our youth workers at City on a Hill @ the Lobo Theatre, our church.
Many from this Black and Hispanic community gathered on December 26th for the impromptu service that broke out at the funeral home’s public viewing. A handful of us from City on a Hill added the color white to the ethnicities of those who honored Shericka’s memory that night.
Please pray for Shericka’s family, that her death will not be in vain and that ALL of them wil become devoted followers of Jesus.
Alongside...It Is God’s Strategy
Who has God brought alongside you, in whom you can invest and provide encouragement? Who has come alongside you, both to care for and encourage you? God’s economy – the way His world works – is set up so that relationships happen along the way of life. Believer or unbeliever, one you disciple or one who mentors you, a friend who helped you through a hard time or someone for whom you did the same – all make up the outworking of His plans in our lives. As Julie has been alongside Shaleigh and her four girls for seven years, we spotlight other people “alongside” our lives. Here are some who encourage us:
Peter Drypolcher, a missionary and dear friend pictured in the last prayer letter, has been a long-term encourager. He and I [Paul] met over lunch 17+ years ago before Peter came to Christ, Through men’s groups and then an outreach group with our wives – and now from across two continents – he and Debi still stand alongside Julie and me.
25th Anniversary Surprise
This past weekend we were in Minot, North Dakota – at First Presbyterian Church, our church home 25 years ago. After the ministry weekend of teambuliding and preaching, four long-time friends and ministry supporters, Lindy and Bob Saunders and Dave and Cheri Waind, hosted a support raising Sunday evening to help with our monthly support shortfall.
If hosting the event and doing all the inviting wasn't enough, they surprised us with a 25th Anniversary cake! We are overwhelmed with the loving kindness shown from over the years and over the miles. We are rich in relationships and rich in encouragement!
Alongside Friends
Cindy Cherry & Sheryl Anello are two of my life-long friends and eternal sisters. Cindy has been a dear friend since early the Minot, ND days and is one of our prayer warriors, bar none.
Sheryl and I had been friends for four years before discovering that we BOTH knew Cindy. They had been high school classmates in southern California. Sheryl has been alongside through thick and thin in the twenty years we have lived here in Albuquerque. She is also Stephen’s second mother!
Our Kazakh Friends Alongside
Every time we go to Almaty, Kazakhstan, Alma and Jachan, here with their youngest daughter and our friend Steven, serve us a meal and encourage us. It is amazing to have such friends across the world.
Friends of Paul and Julie,
“I never cease to be amazed by the caliber of people with whom I get to work at CRM. Paul and Julie are some of those people. I know you hear from them on a regular basis as they relay stories of ways God is at work, but I wanted the chance to speak for them.
CRM exists to empower leaders worldwide who will start or strengthen churches. The challenges ministry leaders face today are more complex than ever. Paul is making a profound contribution in the areas of teambuilding, spiritual gifts, and even a new leadership model for the Church. As a matter of fact, God has been using Paul to strengthen CRM staff and strengthen many other ministries around the world. In a time where leaders are often tempted to operate in isolation, Paul is leading the way in helping us learn to live as the body of Christ in true interdependence.
On behalf of all of us at CRM, thank you for standing faithfully with the Fords. Your love for them and partnership with them is paying kingdom-sized dividends.
- Dr. Gary Mayes, V.P./CRM U.S. Ministries
